Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Butler.
Hi Katrina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started my journey long before I ever knew it would become my life’s work. As a survivor of domestic violence, incarceration, and generational trauma, I learned early what it meant to rebuild from nothing, to fight for safety, and to reclaim my voice after it had been taken from me. Those experiences shaped the woman I am today, an advocate, a healer, and a builder of spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered. My work began organically, simply by showing up for others who were walking the same roads I once traveled. From there, I built So Far So Close, Different Souls on One Accord, and my broader wellness and reentry work as a commitment to help others rewrite their lives with dignity and possibility. I’ve spent years studying trauma-informed care, wellness frameworks, and entrepreneurship so I could turn my pain into purpose, giving people the support I wish I had. Today, I work across multiple programs and organizations, helping survivors, returning citizens, and marginalized communities access healing, opportunity, and freedom. I didn’t arrive here easily, but every chapter of my story became a steppingstone toward the calling I now stand firmly in.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road definitely hasn’t been smooth. Coming out of years of multiple-partner abuse and then into incarceration, I stepped back into the world carrying layers of trauma I didn’t yet have language for. Through the advocacy of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, particularly Karimah Dillard and Jan Christianson, and their Justice for Incarcerated Survivors program, alongside the collaboration of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, led in my case by Crystal Moon, Director of Pre-Release Considerations, I was released in 2021 from an extensive sentence that criminalized me as a victim. That moment of freedom was the beginning of a new chapter, but it also came with enormous responsibility. Upon release, I immediately had to take the seat of “mommy” again, even while still trying to understand who I was and what life meant as a formerly incarcerated woman. I didn’t know where to go for help, what resources existed, or how to rebuild a life with stability and dignity. Navigating all of that while trying to protect my children, heal myself, and find direction was overwhelming.
As I grew into my work, new challenges showed up, learning how to lead without losing myself, building boundaries, and figuring out how to create wellness systems in spaces where seeking help often came with a heavy emotional cost, placing a person’s mental wellness at risk. I often had to fight to have my experience respected, to secure resources, and to build programs from scratch. But every hurdle stretched me, clarified my purpose, and taught me how to show up with authenticity and strength. The struggles became the foundation for the work I do today.
We’ve been impressed with Different Souls on One Accord, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Different Souls on One Accord, LLC is a consulting and program development firm that partners primarily with B2B clients serving marginalized, justice-impacted, and trauma-affected communities. I design trauma-informed, culturally responsive systems that strengthen how organizations support the people they serve. My work includes building wellness frameworks, staff training, reentry infrastructures, and leadership development practices that are both strategic and deeply human.
In addition to this work, I serve full-time as the Community Wellness Manager at Represent Justice, where I support filmmakers, directly impacted leaders, and cohort members through wellness programming, trauma-informed care, and systems that center emotional safety and lived experience. I also consult with the Georgia Micro Enterprise Network (GMEN), where I help develop entrepreneurship training and wellness integration for returning citizens and marginalized business owners. These roles allow me to bridge wellness, storytelling, reentry, and economic mobility, giving me a well-rounded perspective on what individuals and organizations need to thrive.
What sets my brand apart is that it blends professional expertise with lived experience. I understand the barriers, emotional realities, and systemic gaps firsthand, which allows me to create tools and structures that actually work on the ground. I’m known for developing practical systems, clear processes, and healing-centered spaces that help teams operate with intention, compassion, and accountability.
Through my nonprofit initiative, So Far So Close, Inc., I carry out the most personal part of my work. Rooted in my lived experience as a survivor of domestic violence and incarceration, So Far So Close supports women, especially mothers, who are rebuilding their lives after fleeing abusive relationships, unstable environments, or returning home from incarceration. We provide individualized, hands-on support that helps women secure safety, stability, and essential resources to prevent homelessness, family separation, or cycles of returning to harm. We also offer group spaces that foster healing, confidence, and community.
A powerful extension of this work is the So Far So Close – Comfort Me Children’s Book Series, a collection designed to help young children process the emotional impact of trauma, separation, and sudden changes within the family. Each book offers gentle language, calming visuals, and simple grounding tools that help children feel understood, safe, and connected, especially during moments when instability or family transitions make them feel unsure. The series allows caregivers to start healthy emotional conversations with children who may not yet have the words to express what they’re experiencing.
To help maintain and rebuild family bonds when incarceration separates loved ones, I also created the Restorative Justice Reflective Journal, an eight-week guided workbook used by both the child and the incarcerated parent or loved one. Each person completes their own copy of the journal, answering parallel prompts focused on communication, emotional awareness, shared memories, values, dreams, and healing. When the journals are exchanged at the end of the eight weeks, they open a meaningful and restorative dialogue, bridging silence, increasing understanding, and supporting compassion and connection across the walls.
Both the children’s book series and the Restorative Justice journals can be found on Amazon or purchased using the QR code available on the So Far So Close website.
Brand-wise, I am most proud that everything I build, whether in partnership with organizations through Different Souls on One Accord or directly with survivors and families through So Far So Close, rooted in dignity, lived experience, and real transformation. I want readers to know that my mission is to help individuals and institutions move beyond survival into spaces where healing, safety, and long-term purpose are possible.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can work with me in several ways, depending on their needs and the type of impact they want to make. Through Different Souls on One Accord, LLC, I partner with organizations seeking to strengthen their wellness, reentry, survivor-support, or trauma-informed infrastructure. This includes consulting, program development, trainings, curriculum design, and organizational wellness support. I love collaborating with leaders who are committed to creating systems that truly honor the people they serve.
Individuals and community members who want to support my nonprofit work can do so through So Far So Close, Inc., by connecting survivors to our services or by contributing to the women and families we support. Donations can be made directly at www.sofarsoclose.org, and every contribution helps provide safety, stabilization, and healing resources to mothers rebuilding their lives after domestic violence or incarceration.
You can also learn more about my B2B consulting, collaborations, and system-building work through Different Souls on One Accord by visiting www.differentsouls1accord.com. I’m always open to intentional partnerships, speaking engagements, and community collaborations that align with dignity, wellness, and real transformation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.differentsouls1accord.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kbutler1221
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-butler-614096289/
- Other: https://www.sofarsoclose.org/
